middle school storms

The walls shake when voices rise, parents clashing under tired skies. They act like love’s a thing that’s gone, and I’m left wondering what went wrong. Homework piles, the tests don’t wait, coaches shouting to be great. Run faster, stronger — don’t fall behind, but I’m already racing in my mind. Hallways crowded, yet I feel alone, friends with masks I’ve never known. Smiles that vanish when I turn away, words like daggers the next day. And in between the crush of years, the first heartbreak, the hidden tears. Trying to balance who I should be, when everyone else decides for me. But even in storms that feel too wide, I carry the strength I keep inside. Someday these battles will make me whole, a fighter with an unbreakable soul.